


The Miniature Matchmaker

by FlamingoLady



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-26
Updated: 2013-08-26
Packaged: 2017-12-24 18:51:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/943421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlamingoLady/pseuds/FlamingoLady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Teddy is plotting to get his unhappy godfather and cousin to spend more time together so that they will be happy and get married and he will have all of his cousins to play with all the time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Miniature Matchmaker

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on LiveJournal for the HD_Hols Exchange in 2011. I'm just posting it here to keep track of things a little easier.

_March 2008_

Teddy Lupin sat alone in the huge library in Malfoy Manor thinking about some very serious things for a young man of nine (almost ten, thank you very much!) Lately, he had been spending a lot of time with his god-father and his children as well as his cousin and his son. Teddy was very fond of both men and all the kids, even though they were a lot younger than him and seeing how sad everyone was had made him very distressed. Grandma Andi had gotten sick so Teddy started living with his god-father and his family. Harry’s wife Ginny had recently died so he sometimes spent time at his cousin Draco’s too. He loved it since he got to play with the kids all the time now but then things started to change.

Teddy knew that Harry was very sad because his wife Ginny had died when their daughter Lily was born. He also knew that Cousin Draco was very angry at his wife Astoria because he found her with his friend Theo in “a compromising situation.” Teddy wasn’t exactly sure what that was, but even he knew it wasn’t a good thing. He knew that they both needed cheering up, and Teddy had decided that he was just the person to do it. Now he just had to figure out what to do. He knew that both men really only got past their own problems when it came to their kids. There had to be a way to get to them and help make them happy again. Oh wait! Teddy had a wonderfully devious idea that would be worthy of a future-Slytherin. He would ask Cousin Draco if he could have a birthday party and that would mean that all the kids in the family and all of his friends would have to come and then he could make sure that Cousin Draco and Harry got together at the party to talk and they should be able to make each other happy again. At least a little. They must have something in common since they were both so unhappy.

With this decided, Teddy ran off to find Draco and the first step of his plan would be set. He would make sure that Harry and Draco talked at his party and he might even suggest a play-date for the kids. That way, he would get to play with his friends and he could get Harry and Draco talking again. Maybe if things went well, they would get married and they could all live together and he would have all of his friends and cousins living with him so they could all play whenever they wanted to! That would be brilliant! But wait… Did boys marry other boys? He knew that Dean and Seamus were dating and he remembered Draco’s friend Greg talking about his boyfriend Vince who had died in the war so he guessed that they could get married if they wanted to. Smiling to himself, he nodded and with that settled, he resumed his search for his favorite cousin.

He found Draco in his study. This was where he’d been spending most of his time since Astoria had been removed from the Manor so Teddy knew this was the best place to look first. Knocking quietly, Teddy peeped around the corner of the door just as Draco called out asking who was knocking. He got a small smile from his cousin and was waved in.

“How are you doing today, Teddy?” Draco asked pleasantly. “Enjoying your stay at the Manor?”

Nodding his head vigorously, Teddy replied, “Oh yes! I’ve been reading in the library since Scorpius was put down for his nap. You have the best library! I can only imagine what a Ravenclaw would do in there; they would probably be stuck in there for months trying to read everything!”

Chuckling, Draco asked, “Don’t you think you’ll be in Ravenclaw? You’re quite smart and more often than not, I find you with your nose in a book.”

Tilting his head slightly to the right and sticking out his bottom lip, Teddy looked as if he were thinking very hard about the best answer for that question. Finally, he said, “I’m really not sure where I belong. I love to read and school is not a problem for me, but I like to play and do lots of other things besides study too. I know Mummy was in Hufflepuff and Daddy was in Gryffindor, but I’m just not sure if I fit in those houses either. Grandma was in Slytherin and even though she says I’m a little sneaky, I’m not all that ambitious. What do you think, Draco? Where will the hat put me?”

Giving his cousin a quick wink, Draco said, “We will just have to wait and see, won’t we? The Sorting Hat always surprised a few people each year so why don’t we wait until it has its say? Scorpius, on the other hand, will definitely be in Slytherin. Not only is he from a long line of Slytherins, but that boy has been wrapping everyone he meets around his little fingers since he was born. Now, what can I do for you this lovely afternoon? I know that you didn’t come in just to talk about the merits of Hogwarts Houses.”

“Oh yeah! I almost forgot,” Teddy giggled and then went into his request. “Well… You remember my birthday is coming up, right?” Looking quickly at Draco he saw a nod and smile so went on. “I was wondering if you would mind too terribly if we had a party. I was hoping to invite Uncle Harry and his kids and maybe a few of my friends from school. Would that be okay with you? I promise we won’t be a lot of trouble and we don’t even have to have cake! Although that would be nice since Nippy makes such wonderful chocolate cakes.”

Draco laughed at his cousin’s ramblings and put him out of his misery by saying, “Of course we will be having a party and there will be food and cake for you. If you give me a list of the friends you wanted to invite, I can make sure an owl gets to their parents tomorrow. I’ll even put up with your god-father for the afternoon just for you. Even though he is the epitome of a Gryffindor.”

Giving Draco a brilliant smile, Teddy laughed and asked, “Did you know that the Sorting Hat almost put Harry in Slytherin but he asked it not to so it put him in Gryffindor?”

Looking utterly gobsmacked, Draco exclaimed, “What? How could Harry Potter possibly have been sorted into Slytherin?”

Showing his sneaky side, Teddy shrugged and said, “I’m not sure, but I’m sure he would tell you if you asked him at my party.”

Staring after his cousin, Draco muttered to himself, “Oh yes, that boy will be in Slytherin.”

**~HD~HD~HD~HD~**

Harry was empty. Well, not really, but he felt that way. There was an aching hole in his spirit that seemed to center on his heart and sometimes had him gasping for breath. But he had to be strong for his children, so this was something that he had to keep to himself. Ever since Ginny died, he had felt that he wasn’t worthy to have lived when she was gone and he just knew that he wasn’t as good of a single parent as she would have been. Why was he still here? That was an easy answer. He had three beautiful children and a godson who would be alone if he wasn’t still there. That fact alone kept him from showing how broken he was and how sad. He had a sneaking suspicion that Teddy knew though. That boy would definitely be in Slytherin. He was sneaky, cunning and ambitious even if he was only nine. Harry smiled to himself thinking about the sweet boy who could wrap even Severus Snape around his little finger if he tried hard enough. Yet another person that Harry had outlived. The memories shared with him from the former Headmaster had shocked and moved him. There was a different side to the dark man that showed Harry the reasons behind his foul temper and acid tongue. He had been forced to rethink a great number of things because of the revelations in that small phial of grey swirling memories.

Harry wasn’t sure what got him thinking this way today, but it might have had something to do with the small and eloquent party invitation he had just received. It was from Draco Malfoy inviting him and all of his children to a birthday party for Teddy. He and Draco had long ago made their peace with each other. Sharing custody of Teddy and the long conversation they engaged in after Harry had returned his wand made them realize that they had many things in common. They weren’t exactly friends, but they were able to be around each other without trying to hex each other now. They hadn’t had much opportunity to talk since Ginny’s death or Draco’s divorce and much to his surprise; Harry was looking forward to catching up with his former rival. It had been quite a while since their last night of drinks and good-natured banter and Harry felt like it may be time to start pulling himself out of this funk he’d let himself get mired in. With that in mind, he gathered up the children and headed off to Diagon Alley to get birthday gifts from the four of them and maybe even a little token for Scorpius since they would be having the party at the Manor.

Several hours later, Harry realized that this may have been a mistake. What was he thinking of taking three children all under the age of five out alone. He was exhausted and so were the kids, but they had eight bags shrunken and stowed in his pockets and they were now off to see Neville and Luna for an early dinner. Quickly making sure that he had all three children, he led them to the entrance to The Leaky Cauldron and waved a quick hello to Tom the barkeeper before stepping up to the public floo and sent them spinning off to dinner. They all arrived slightly sooty and Lily showed her disapproval of this form of travel by sneezing delicately three times. They walked out of the small floo room into the beautiful nursery that Neville and Luna had built. The children loved wandering through the pretty rows of plants and flowers so Harry let Al and James run ahead while he walked slowly in the direction of the tall figure he knew to be his friend currently bending over a sickly looking bit of vegetation. He had no doubt that with Neville’s care and attention the plant would soon flourish just like everything else he touched.

“Hey Nev. What’s that you’re working on? Poor thing doesn’t look like it’s doing very well.”

Smiling up at Harry and Lily, Neville stood and came over to place a quick kiss on the baby’s chubby cheek causing her to giggle and pull at his hair. “It’s a Mimbulus Mimbletonia. Remember the one I had back at Hogwarts? Well, this is a cutting from it. They are really difficult to take care of, but this one is starting to finally take root. I just have to give it a little extra attention.” While talking, Neville started walking towards the door to go outside. Stopping just before leaving, he performed a cleaning spell to remove the dirt from his hands and clothes then held his hands out to Lily. She was in a stage where she only wanted to be held by certain people and only when she was in the right mood so you always had to ask her before just grabbing her or you would have a very angry girl on your hands. Apparently she was in the mood and reached for Neville so Harry handed her over, giving her a big smile and a quick tickle under the chin.

Looking back over his shoulder at Luna’s Lovely Garden, Harry smiled sadly and wished for about the millionth time that Ginny were still alive and that they had opened the little nursery school they had always talked about. Neville and Luna had this wonderful business, they got to spend time together and they enjoyed what they did. That was what they had wanted but hadn’t had the time. They were planning on doing it after Lily was born and they could dedicate more time to it so their children would have a place to learn and meet other kids before they went to Hogwarts. Unfortunately that never happened and Harry couldn’t make himself want to try without his Ginny there by his side. Trying to pull himself out of this mood, Harry started chatting with Neville about Luna’s latest adventure and the wonderful new plants she’d brought back with her for Neville to study and grow.

“Daddy! Daddy! Come see what Aunt Luna brought us!” James was screaming while Albus was bouncing and waving for them to hurry and see whatever treasure had come to them from their favorite aunt. Laughing at their antics, Harry started walking a little faster.

“Don’t worry this time,” Neville whispered to him. “I made her promise not to bring any more live creatures back for anyone other than us. I swear she reminds me of Hagrid sometimes!”

“No, she won’t remind me of Hagrid until she brings something home that adores her but could kill anyone else. I don’t know how he did it, but all of those scary creatures he had were totally devoted to him. I think he still has a few of Aragog’s descendants that will let him come talk to them and if they’re needed gather a few things for potions.” Another sad smile came to him while thinking out loud, “I wonder if Professor Snape ever knew about all of the priceless ingredients that he would have had access to if he’d asked.”

Shaking his head, Neville answered softly, “I doubt it. He was a proud man and held his secrets close to him. I doubt that he would have even considered asking someone else to share theirs with him. Too bad we didn’t know about him while we were still in school. I know that I wouldn’t have been nearly as frightened of him and knowing that he was helping us would have made so many things easier. I suppose that’s why he had to be so careful though.”

“Yeah, I guess so. I should have known,” Harry said while shaking his head. “He saved my arse so many times and why would a true Deatheater do that? Even if he were trying to protect his status as spy? I really wish that I’d had a chance to thank him for everything. I think my mother would have been proud of everything he did to help me and make things right in our world.”

“Have you spoken with his portrait about any of that? I know it isn’t the same thing, but it would be something. Besides, he might be able to tell you more about your mother. I know that you’ve wondered about her for a long time since you haven’t really had many people talk about her like you did your dad.”

“Great idea Nev! Teddy is having a birthday party next week at Malfoy Manor and I know that Draco has a portrait there. I can ask him if he’d mind me spending a little time talking to the Professor. Are you coming with the twins? I’m sure that Teddy would love to see them.”

“Yeah, we’re coming. Who would have ever thought that all of the Gryffindors would be going to a party at Malfoy Manor?” Laughing at the idea of his teenage self presented with that idea, Neville added, “Funny how something like a war can change everyone so much. Have you talked to Ron or Hermione to see if they’re coming too?”

“No, I haven’t talked to either of them recently. I did get a quick floo call from Blaise and Pansy last week just after Draco sent out the invitations. They were asking for gift ideas, so I guess they are coming. And there we are back at hanging out with Slytherins voluntarily again.” Laughing at the very idea, he said, “I’m also looking forward to talking with Draco, so I suppose that hell has finally frozen over. Now let’s go and see what your lovely and insane wife has brought for my monsters.”

**~HD~HD~HD~HD~**

The last two weeks had been busy for Draco. He had party plans and his charity work as well as the enormous amount of work it took to maintain the Malfoy business interests. He was surprised to note that he was missing Teddy’s presence while he was working on the party for his cousin. He had taken him to Potter’s for his two weeks there on Sunday last and he was looking forward to seeing how he liked what Draco had picked out for food and decorations. This was his first attempt at throwing a child’s party without Astoria and he found it to be quite entertaining. He was able to do all of the things for Teddy that he wanted to but had never been allowed because they were too “childish.” The party is for a child, how exactly could it be too childish? That didn’t matter anymore, she was gone and the party was all up to Draco. He had the house elves create a child-sized Quidditch pitch in the back garden and there were toy brooms for all of the children big enough to ride them as well as toy snitches and quaffles to play with. There would be tables set up under the shade trees and around the small koi pond for food and drinks and the cake would be brought in later. It would be a Hungarian Horntail that roared and breathed cinnamon flames. He knew that Teddy would appreciate it and Harry would get a good laugh out of it as well. As soon as he saw it in the baker’s catalog, he knew that he had to get it. Not only would it be a fun cake for the children, it would give Draco an avenue to start talking about school days and ask about the story Teddy mentioned with the Sorting Hat.

Lost in thought, Draco hadn’t noticed when Mipsy had come to tell him about the problem with the food for the party. He seemed almost surprised when the small elf had to tap him on the back of the hand to get his attention. “Begging your pardon, Master Draco, but Mipsy was trying to tell you about the food but you was not answering, sir.”

Smiling down at the little female in the standard Malfoy tea towel uniform, he said, “I’m so sorry Mipsy. I was trying to think a few things through and didn’t notice you there. What can I do for you? You mentioned something about the food for tomorrow?”

Blushing at the idea of her Master apologizing to her, Mipsy squeaked out, “Yes sir, Master Draco. We is having problems with the platters for the fish fingers and chicken nuggets.” Leaning closer to Draco she whispered, “They keep changing colors and turning into chickens and fish! We don’t know what to do. We tried to make them stop, but every time we put food on the platter, they turn into whatever food is there.”

Laughing over the quandary the elves were finding themselves in, Draco said quietly, “I believe that is my fault. I forgot to tell you that this would happen. I got those from the Weasley’s store. They are made to do just what they are doing. I know it’s a little silly, but I thought the children would enjoy them. Just make sure that you only put one type of food on each platter. The vegetable trays won’t try to change since there are so many things being placed together on the platter. Will it cause too much trouble?”

“Oh no, Master Draco! We thoughts we was doing something wrong and didn’t want to have the Young Master unhappy at his party. Nows that we’s know they is supposed to be doing that, we will be arranging them on the animals.” Smiling brilliantly at her Master, she thanked him again and popped back to the kitchen to let the others know that there wasn’t a problem.

Draco chuckled to himself. He really should have mentioned what would happen with the platters. The poor elves had almost been beside themselves when he told them what he wanted for food and snacks for the party. They couldn’t believe that Draco or Teddy could really want chicken nuggets, fish fingers and chips, even if they were made from the best ingredients. He tried to explain that these were the foods that Teddy liked and didn’t normally get while at the Manor. He’d had to listen to the numerous reasons that Mistress Narcissa had never allowed those types of foods into her home. They finally listened when he said that as much as he loved and respected his mother, Mistress Narcissa had passed on many years ago and this was now Master Draco’s home. He had to make a blanket rule for that day saying that none of the elves were to punish themselves, as they had all gone wide-eyed and looked around for the easiest accessible means of punishment.

He decided that he needed to make one more quick fire call before heading to bed for the evening and went to his study and the floo made so that one didn’t have to stoop in front of the fire when making a call. Grabbing floo powder and tossing it into the flames, he called out, “Potter’s Circus.” He still wasn’t sure who had named their home, but Draco laughed each time he called Potter just for having to say it.

A messy head quickly appeared in the flames and greeted him grumpily. “I hope I didn’t wake you Harry. I thought you would still be up, it’s not that late, but accept my apologies if you weren’t.”

“No, not asleep. Well, not really. I dozed off while reading the boys their bedtime story. Do you know how exhausting it is having three toddlers and Teddy to keep track of at a dinner at the Burrow?”

Draco couldn’t help himself and a laugh escaped before he schooled himself back to his serious face so that he wouldn’t insult Harry. “I’m very happy to say that I have never had that particular experience. Having two children running amok is more than enough for me thank you. You are going to make it to the party tomorrow, aren’t you? I doubt that our Teddy would appreciate you missing it just to nap the day away,” he said with the signature Malfoy smirk.

Glaring at him through the flames, Harry grumbled, “Of course I’m going to be there tomorrow. I’m bringing the guest of honor or had you forgotten? I’m glad that you called though, I was hoping to ask a small favor.”

“Of course, I just wanted to check on a couple of things about the party with you as well. Do you mind if I step through for a few minutes? It might be more comfortable for both of us.”

“Sure, go ahead.” Harry stepped back from the fire and watched as Draco stepped through. “Can I get you anything? Tea or maybe something a bit stronger?” At Draco’s negative headshake, he asked, “So what can I do for you? You said you wanted to talk about the party?”

“Yes, I was hoping to get a few last minute things taken care of before he shows up tomorrow and also to check on a couple of the food choices. The elves don’t really make child-friendly food at the Manor, more like a child’s version of what the adults are getting.” Draco continued on with his explanation of the food and questions about Teddy’s preferences as well as the other children that Harry had been around that he knew would be at the party. After a short while, all of the details had been sorted and Draco smiled at Harry and asked, “Now that we have that settled, what was it you wanted to ask?”

Looking a bit uncomfortable, Harry shifted in his seat and cleared his throat before going into a short explanation of what he was hoping to do. “I was talking with Neville last week and we started talking about Snape and how we really wished that we had gotten to know the real Severus Snape and not just the snarky bastard that we knew at school.” Harry paused and gave Draco a quick look before proceeding, “His memories really affected me and I have always been upset that I never got the opportunity to thank him or to talk to him about some of the things I saw in them. Neville suggested that I try talking to his portrait, even though it’s not really him, as a way to clear the air a bit. I know that you have a portrait of him at the Manor and I was hoping that you would allow me to spend a little time talking to him, if you don’t think I’m a crazy man after that ridiculous sounding excuse.”

Draco was very surprised at Harry’s request. He would have never expected to hear regret and respect in his voice when talking about Severus, but he was touched at the thought of Harry sitting down with his godfather and talking things through. It may not be the actual man, but there was definitely a piece of the man’s spirit that existed in his portrait and he thought that Severus would be pleasantly surprised at this visit. “Well, that was the absolute last thing I would have imagined you asking me for, but I do appreciate you for asking it. Severus was a good man and he protected me more than you know during the war and I think he would appreciate you stopping in to talk with him when you’re at the Manor. Did you know that he was my godfather?” Harry shook his head and a sad smile came to Draco’s lips. “Not many people did. He was more than that to me though. He was the one I went to for all of my questions a young boy normally goes to his father for. As much as I idolized Lucius when I was an idiot of a child, I still knew that he would never be as interested in my life as he was in his own affairs. Severus on the other hand, always made time for me. That’s why I was so good at potions first year. He had tutored me for the past two summers to get me ready.”

Giving him a wicked grin, Harry said, “See, I knew you weren’t really as good as you were without help! Slimy little Slytherin cheat, you are.” Laughing at Draco’s expression, he bumped his shoulder to Draco’s to let the man know he was joking. “I’m sorry, it was too easy and I was hoping to lighten the mood a bit. I didn’t mean to pull you into my depression along with me. I appreciate your willingness to let me spend time with him. Damn, I don’t know what to even call him now. Professor, Headmaster, Severus? None really feel right. Anyway, I thank you again. I liked Nev’s idea and think it might help me get rid of one of the many regrets I’ve had since the war.”

Patting the other man’s arm, Draco gave him a small smile and said, “You didn’t depress me, but it has been a while since I thought about things like that. I know that you would feel better after talking with Severus, even if he does yell at you, which is a distinct possibility as you know. It’s sort of comforting, knowing that even in death he’s still the same as he always was.” Slowly standing, Draco started to make his leave. “I should be going now. I know you need some sleep before the monsters wake up and I have a few last minute details to take care of as well. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon and I will make sure that you get some time alone in the portrait gallery with Severus.”

When they reached the floo, Harry smiled at Draco and did something a bit unexpected. He stuck out his hand. It was the first time that he’d thought to do so since they had both been little arses on the Hogwarts Express, but he felt like something had changed tonight and he wanted to commemorate it. Yes, it was a small and silly gesture, but he could tell from Draco’s expression that he understood the significance. “I’m glad that we’ll be over tomorrow. It’s been too long since we’ve had time to just sit and chat. Believe it or not, I think I’ve missed it.”

Draco gave Harry a wary look as he extended his hand to accept the offered handshake and said, “Really? Funny but I was thinking something very similar not long after Teddy suggested this. Do you think the little snake was trying to engineer something like this?”

Laughing loudly before cringing and looking towards the kids rooms, Harry said, “I did say to Neville that our teenage selves would never have believed all of the mingling Slytherins and Gryffindors are doing lately.”

Chuckling, Draco agreed before leaving, “I definitely agree. We would have all been testing for Imperious or some other kind of excuse for all of this ridiculousness. Although I have to admit that I do enjoy the company of the occasional lion. Now I really must get back. I’ll see you tomorrow and I even have a topic of conversation thanks to the birthday boy.” Smirking at Harry’s confusion, he added, “Something about the sorting hat and Slytherin?” Waving quickly and throwing a bit of powder into the fire, Draco clearly heard Harry mumbling something about Teddy and Slytherin as he was whisked back to the Manor.

**~HD~HD~HD~HD~**

Teddy was happy that his plan was working. He had heard Harry and Draco last night. They seemed to be getting along well, even though the topic was a little sad. He had also noticed that today both men seemed to be spending a lot of time together, except when Harry went off to talk with Professor Snape. He did seem a little happier after coming back though and that was a good thing in Teddy’s opinion. Now if they would only see that they needed to get married so that he could have his family all in one place. Well, everyone would be there but Grandma Andi. This just made his resolve to get the two men together even stronger. He had a bad feeling that his grandmother may not have much longer and he wanted to know that he had somewhere to call home and not just a place he stayed for a few weeks at a time before he left for another place that was temporary as well. He almost wanted to talk with Harry about it because he knew that he would understand since he’d had a pretty screwed up childhood too, but he didn’t want to give away too much of his plan. Not yet, anyway. Done with his spying and plotting for the moment, Teddy ran back out to the Quidditch game going on in the garden.

**~HD~HD~HD~HD~**

Draco was surprised to realize that he was thoroughly enjoying this little get together and seeing so many friends with all of their many children was amusing the hell out of him. Seeing Blaise running after his beautiful but mischievous daughter or Pansy yelling at her rampaging son made him glad that Scorpius was such a well-behaved child. This thought of course conjured said well-behaved child to come tearing into the ballroom shrieking all the while dragging an easily recognized Potter child behind him. The two noticed their fathers and resumed their race through the small crowd and ended up in front of them crying and still screaming about some injustice caused by the older children. Before Draco could do or say a thing, Harry knelt down so that he was on their level and looked at both boys seriously before saying, “Boys, we will take care of your problem, but first we need for you to both stop yelling like little banshees and maybe calm down a bit. Can you do that for us?”

Both children abruptly stopped talking and looked at each other. Albus Severus nodded at his friend before both turned back to Harry and apologized. “We’re sorry Mr. Potter.” “We’re sorry daddy!”

Smiling kindly, Harry continued on, “Thank you both, and you are forgiven. Now could one of you please let us know what’s got you so upset? And please, only one of you at a time.”

Scorpius looked at Al and then nodded, apparently letting him tell his father what had happened. “Well, we were outside playing with the other kids and then James came up with Hugo and started pushing us around saying that we were babies and shouldn’t be playing with the big kids. We said we were _so_ old enough and then they shoved Scorpius and made him fall and started laughing at us and being really mean. When we said that we were going to tell you and Mr. Malfoy they said we’d better not or we’d be in trouble, but they’re the ones in trouble, aren’t they daddy? For being so mean and picking on us when we’re a lot littler than they are?”

Draco was about to go looking for the little miscreants who had manhandled his son when he noticed the look on Harry’s face and thought that it might be better to let him handle the situation. For a man who seemed to be so easygoing with his children, this look made him think that there was more to Harry that he’d expected.

Nodding at their sons, Harry said, “Yes, they are the ones who will be in trouble. Thank you for being brave and letting us know what happened even though they threatened you. Have you seen your Auntie Hermione? I think that she needs to know what Hugo is doing so that she can help me take care of this too.”

Nodding quickly, Scorpius chimed in by pointing and saying, “Yes sir, we saw her over that way talking with Auntie Pansy and Uncle Blaise.”

Harry stood and patted both boys on the shoulder then looked at Draco and said that he would be back. Draco nodded and watched him walk towards the small group sitting just a few tables away. He wanted to hear what happened with this so he guided the boys over to where Potter was now talking with the adults about their sons. Chuckling at the way Hermione’s face slowly reddened before exclaiming loudly, “They did WHAT?” She stood up quicker that he had imagined a woman could for being seven months pregnant and then glared at Blaise. “This is all your fault! You and your bloody Slytherin posturing has gotten to him and turned him into a bully just like you and your friends were back at Hogwarts. How is it that I ended up married to such a prat?”

To his credit, Blaise didn’t say a word and sat there looking cowed while his very pregnant wife went storming towards the door followed by Harry and two smug looking children. Draco couldn’t help himself and started laughing at his friend’s predicament. “Sorry Blaise, but I’m _so_ very happy that it’s not me having to deal with a woman in her condition and all of the lovely mood-swings that it brings with it. I also don’t envy your spawn out there.”

Smiling and shaking his head, Blaise responded, “Sadly, I think he actually got most of that attitude from Pansy and Ron. Have you seen their little heathen of a daughter? She is as close to evil incarnate as a six-year-old can be. Oh and just to give fair warning? I would steer clear of our darling Pansy for several months. She just found out that Ron’s gotten her up the duff again and is in a mood to skin anything with a penis to let us all know just how unhappy she is.”

Draco looked back in horror and noticed Pansy heading in their direction and decided to make a quick exit. “Excuse me, but I think I need to see what happened with the children. I’ll see you later. Good luck when you get home, by the way. I have a feeling that you’re going to hear more of the tirade that started here.” Draco made a concentrated effort to avoid Pansy and walked out into the garden. He didn’t need to look far to find the group he was interested in. He quickly moved towards Harry, Hermione and the four boys and two girls who had been involved in the altercation.

“You boys know better than to gang up on anyone smaller than you are so you will apologize and then you will both have to deal with punishments at home as well. I’m very disappointed. Not to mention the fact that you were pushing around a smaller girl and not just the boys. What have we always told you? You will have to treat girls as the young ladies they are. That does not mean that you have to shove them or push them down or talk badly to them. Do you understand?” Both of the older boys looked very ashamed but nodded in answer to Harry’s question. Draco was in awe of how he could get so much response from these children with quiet words and disappointment when most of the adults he’d been around had always yelled or sent the children off with the nanny or house-elf that was assigned to care for them. This way seemed much more efficient.

**~HD~HD~HD~HD~**

The rest of the evening seemed to go by much quicker and much smoother. The guests started leaving around seven and the last of the stragglers were heading out nearer to eight. Harry was still there since he was taking Teddy back with him and the birthday boy didn’t want to leave until all of his guests had so they remained at the Manor. The small group remaining was scattered in chairs and sofas around the large parlor chatting or dozing off after a busy day of running and playing. Teddy decided that this was the perfect time to begin with part two of his plan. Yawning hugely, he looked over at the chatting adults and politely spoke, “Excuse me Harry, Draco?” When he had the attention of both men, he continued, “I was wondering if it would be alright if I stayed here tonight. I know I’m supposed to be back with Harry for the next couple of days, but I’m really tired and would love to just run up to bed.”

Looking to Harry who nodded his consent, Draco responded, “Of course you can stay Teddy. We don’t mind. I’m sure that you are exhausted after your party today. Why don’t you run upstairs and get ready for bed and I’ll make sure that Harry come up to say good night before he leaves.”

Smiling brilliantly, Teddy ran over and hugged Draco and Harry before asking another favor, “I was hoping that the boys could stay the night as well. I know you still have the kid-size pitch set up in the garden and I would love to play some more tomorrow and it would be more fun if there were more people than just me and Scorpius.”

Hesitantly, Harry replied, “Well... I don’t see a problem as long as it’s alright with Draco. I can run home and get clothes and the boys and bring them back before I take Lily back.”

Draco broke in at this and added with a smirk, “Don’t think you’re going to leave me with all of these children on my own, Potter. We have more than enough beds here to house you and the little princess as well. You can run and get clothes for you all and we’ll just extend the party a bit. How does that sound to everyone?”

Cheers came from the sofa where Albus and Scorpius had been playing. James clapped and Teddy’s smile got even larger than before. “Brilliant! James can sleep in my room and Albus in Scorpius’, but what about Harry and Lily? Where should they stay?”

Winking at his sly little cousin, Draco smirked and said, “Why they could stay in my room.” He was utterly incapable of keeping the laughter in at the look on Harry’s face at the thought of sharing a bedroom with Draco and his baby daughter. When he was finally able to compose himself, Draco said, “That was a joke Harry, but the look on your face was priceless and I think I may have to preserve that memory in a pensieve just so that I can remember it for eternity.”

Mumbling something that sounded remarkably like, “Smartarse” under his breath, Harry did the mature thing and stuck his tongue out at Draco and said that he would be back soon with the required clothes. He also checked with Teddy to see if there was anything that he would need for his two weeks at the Manor.

Draco was in charge of Lily while Harry was making his trip home and back and it seemed that the younger boys were fading quickly. Teddy wandered over to sit beside Draco to see how his plan was really working out. “Thank you for my party, Draco. It was really wonderful! Did you have a good time?”

Smiling back at Teddy, he answered honestly, “Yes I did. Quite a bit better than I had expected to have if I’m being honest. Your godfather is actually a good bit better company than I’d remembered.” Looking back at his cousin with a shrewd eyed gaze, Draco added, “Now will you tell me what exactly it is that you’re up to now? I know there is something you’re trying to do.”

Blushing at being caught, Teddy bit his lip and then started in on his plan. “Well, I knew that you and Harry were really sad because of what happened with your wives and I was hoping that I could get you to see just how much you had in common and start to be friends and then fall in love and get married so that we could all live together and I wouldn’t have to hop back and forth between houses and I would have a place that I could really call home and not just two places that I sort of belonged part of the time. Plus then you and Harry wouldn’t be sad and we’d always have someone to talk to or play with and that would be brilliant!” Finally he seemed to run out of steam and looked shyly back up at Draco and asked, “Are you mad at me?”

Trying to take all of that little speech in took a few minutes for Draco. He thought about all that Teddy had said and what it could potentially mean for everyone involved. Did he really want to be alone anymore? What would Harry say to all of this? How did Teddy know that he was gay? Was Harry gay? How exactly could someone be so very Slytherin in his planning and execution and then such a Hufflepuff when confronted about it? By the time he started to speak, Teddy was almost in tears, afraid that Draco was upset with him. Those fears were quickly taken care of though. “Thank you for caring so much about us that you decided to come up with this little scheme. I know you meant well with it and at the very least, I think that Harry and I are better friends than we were before. As for falling in love, I’m not even sure that he likes men in that way and if he does, if he would like me that way. You can’t just pick the person you’re going to fall in love with. You can marry someone then hope for the best, but nothing says that will end up in a love match. Would you be very disappointed if we just ended up being good friends? And we can also talk about the living arrangements if you’re not happy going back and forth between us because we thought you liked it but if you don’t we can do whatever it is you need to be happy.”

Sniffling a bit, Teddy threw himself into Draco’s lap and started sobbing. “I’m sorry Draco! I just wanted you and Harry to be happy again and I was worried that you didn’t want me to be with you all of the time. Either of you. Why would you want me when you already have kids of your own? I love you and didn’t want to see you so unhappy.”

Hugging the little boy close to him, Draco started trying to reassure him, “Teddy, you are a member of both families. You get to have the best of both and know that you’re loved by all of us. Harry and I both want to have you with us, but we know how you love playing with all of your cousins so we pass you around so that you can see everyone. If you don't like that please let us know. We were trying to think of you when we came up with this arrangement but you can make changes if you just ask us, alright?"

Teddy nodded and hugged Draco closer when he heard Harry come through the floo. Turning his tear-stained face towards his godfather, Teddy got up and ran to fling himself into a surprised Harry's arms. "I love you Harry! Please don't be mad at me for trying to get you and Draco together!"

Picking up the distraught child, Harry asked what was going on and got the nutshell version of the story from Draco. By the time the story was complete; Teddy had cried himself to sleep and was cuddled in Harry's lap. They decided to settle the children and then come back downstairs to discuss what had come out in Teddy's mournful tale.

**~HD~HD~HD~HD~**

Harry and Draco met back downstairs in the drawing room after making sure all five children were tucked into their beds and sleeping. Draco had two glasses of firewhiskey ready for them when Harry arrived and they sat together staring into the fire while trying to process their thoughts on everything that had been revealed. Draco finally spoke, startling Harry out of his thoughts, "I think that we need to talk about all of this." Seeing the resigned nod from his companion, he continued, "I never knew that he felt that way about us sharing custody of him did you? Teddy has always seemed to enjoy splitting his time between the two of us, hasn't he?"

"I think that he is better at hiding things than either of us has realized. I had a feeling that he had figured out that I was depressed, but I wasn't sure if his attempts to get us to hang out were about that or just wanting to play with all of the boys together more often. I'm a little surprised that he would want to try and get us dating though." Chuckling, he added while winking at Draco, "I didn't know that I was that transparent when I was occasionally checking out your arse."

Coughing out the firewhiskey that he had just sipped, Draco stared at Harry. Was he really being serious, or was he joking. "What did you say?"

Laughing out loud, Harry smiled and said, "That was one of the things that I realized about myself from Snape's memories. It was also something that I talked with him about today. I knew that I wasn't all that interested in sex while we were at school, mostly because I was preparing myself for whatever the insane madman was planning for me that year, but also because I had so many hang ups from my horrid Muggle relatives. I think I always knew that I was attracted to men and women, but my uncle had enough rants about **_those people_** for me to know that it was a horrible thing so I hid that part of myself. After seeing Severus' memories, I came to realize that I'd had a huge schoolboy crush on him." Snorting at Draco's gobsmacked look, he continued, "It was the voice! How could anyone hear that silky voice as often as I did and not dream of it? Merlin, I think that I wanked to that voice more nights than I did about anything or anyone else at school! I must say that if he were still alive, I think I may have been buried somewhere in your back garden after that little confession."

Finally snapping out of his stunned silence, Draco laughed until he was red in the face and was almost out of breath. Gasping out a response, "Merlin, I thought it was just me! He was my godfather, but that didn't stop me from having fantasies about detentions that would have _never_ been approved of by Hogwarts staff." Looking at Harry to see his reaction, Draco saw that he had a look that was part surprise and part interest. "I'm going to tell you something that I've never told anyone else, not even Blaise or Pansy and we've been best friends since we were three. Can I trust you to never tell anyone else?"

Harry looked a little confused before asking, "Why would you tell me anything like that? I mean, I won't tell anyone, but I don't understand your reasoning here."

Smiling shyly back at his raven-haired companion, Draco leaned a bit closer and whispered loudly, "Because I think that you are probably the only other person I know who would understand."

Harry's face showed his realization of what this must mean and with a growing smile and eager grin, he replied, "Oh, I see! Of course you can trust me and you have me very curious now. I can't wait to hear this story."

Draco laughed loudly and then started his tale, "Well, I was home for Christmas hols during fifth year and like any other fifteen year old boy, I was spending way too much time alone in my bedroom. Mother and Father just assumed that I was sulking about something or another as that was a common thing for me at that time. Severus had come over for Christmas Eve dinner and when I excused myself, I decided to use the visit for a new fantasy about my favorite Potions Master. He was talking with me over dinner and it was almost as if I were an adult. He was the only one who did that and I think that added onto the silky voice were the main things that attracted me to him. I was practically ready to burst at the dinner table, but there was no way that I could possibly do that. So when he saw me running off, Father made some sort of comment about my sulking and poor behavior to Severus who then decided to talk with me himself to see if he could do anything to help. I don't think I have ever seen him as flustered and out of sorts as I did that day when he barged into my room and found me rolling around on my bed naked and wanking while moaning his name." Chancing a glance at Harry, he saw his gobsmacked expression but could also see that he was starting to have to hold back laughter. "As if that wasn't bad enough, when he snarked at me asking what I thought I was doing, that only pushed me over the edge and I came all over myself and then ran into my bathroom to hide for the next half hour."

Harry couldn't help himself now and he burst into loud and almost hysterical laughter. Every time he caught sight of Draco, he started all over again, even if he was almost over that particular laughing fit. Draco had joined him in his mirth but he was also blushing like a teenager which Harry found very appealing. After finally calming themselves, Harry asked, "What did he do? I know Severus and I can't imagine that he would let that go, even for his godson."

Chucking, Draco said, "Oh no, he didn't let it go. He was waiting for me when I came out of the bathroom. He sat me down and told me that this was inappropriate and that if I were planning to masturbate then I should put at the very least a locking and silencing charm on my bedroom door. He also told me that if he ever caught me whining his name again that he would spank me until I couldn't sit for a week. He then proceeded to smirk at me while leaving as he placed a very strong locking and silencing spell on my door. I don't think I left my room for the next two days!"

"Merlin, I think I would have paid to have seen that! I can only imagine how embarrassed you must have been and just how smug Severus would have been as well. I'm sure that he was flattered, but probably pretty freaked out at walking in on his godson wanking to thoughts of him. Although, I think that he must have said what he did before leaving just to give you another little naughty taste of a fantasy."

Laughing, Draco agreed with Harry and said, "Oh I'm sure he did. He never really mentioned it again, but occasionally he would say something to hint that he still remembered it and wouldn't hesitate to use that knowledge to his advantage if need be. It was the one thing I had done that I could never live down."

Patting Draco's shoulder, Harry said, "Oh, I think there were lots of things that I did that I couldn't live down with Professor Snape. I'm so ashamed of the things I thought and did and never gave him the chance that he more than deserved. Do you know why I did so well in Potions during sixth year?" Seeing Draco's curious negative headshake, he continued, "When I didn’t have a book at the beginning of the year and Slughorn told Ron and I to grab one from the cupboard, I got one that had all kinds of instructions or tips written in the margins. There were also spells that I'd never heard of and for that, I need to apologize to you. I should never have used that spell on you in Moaning Myrtle's loo when I had no idea what it would do other than that it was supposed to be for enemies."

"Let me interrupt you there. I forgive you, even though you really don't have a thing to apologize for. We were idiots as children and we held grudges and had opinions from family and friends that were better left out of our lives, but that is all in the past. I apologize to you as well. I was about to cast an Unforgivable on you and you are the one who is apologizing? Only you, Harry Potter, would apologize for defending yourself. Please don't give it another thought. Now, let’s get back to this story about your used Potions manual."

Giving Draco a small smile, Harry continued, "Thanks, and just so you know, you're forgiven as well. Anyway, the book was the secret to my success that year and funnily enough, I later found out, after using Sectumsempra on you, that the book was Snape's and before that his mother's. I actually still have it at home and use it for some of the simpler potions that I brew myself. The thing was amazing and that was when I started to think that I was interested in men also. I was obsessed with the Half-Blood Prince as he'd called himself in the book. I started to understand how he thought and then I noticed that I was thinking about the Prince more than I was Ginny who was supposed to be my girlfriend already. That's when the dreams started. I kept seeing myself brewing with him and chatting and after a while he started touching me almost as if by accident. You know what I mean, brushing hands when passing things or our shoulders touching when we were standing beside each other. Ginny knew of course. She was much cleverer than most gave her credit for. She would have done well in Slytherin actually. I think that’s one of the things I miss most about her. Having someone that I could talk to about anything and who would understand or at least put up with my madness.” Shaking his head, Harry gave a sad smile before saying, “Thanks for listening Draco, and for not making me feel like an idiot.”

Seeing that Harry was starting to get a bit tipsy on firewhiskey and that this apparently meant that he was also growing a bit weepy, Draco leaned over and put his arm around his friend’s shoulder and said, “That’s what friends are for, Harry. Why don’t you head off to bed? Things will look better in the morning.” 

Harry turned his slightly out-of-focused eyes toward Draco and quickly leaned in and pressed his lips to Draco’s in a soft but chaste kiss before saying, “Thanks for making me feel like I’m not mental and for sharing your story with me as well. I enjoyed tonight and getting to know you a little better. I think I’d like to do this again if you would.”

Draco was frozen in his shock over the peck on the lips that Harry had given him. That was the last thing he had expected, but if he was being honest with himself, it was something that he’d been imagining since fourth year and seeing Harry go up against that bloody dragon. Was this just a drunken kiss or was he really interested in him? If he was interested, was it just a physical attraction or was he looking for a relationship. The biggest question he had for the moment was this: when the bloody fuck had he turned into a girl? Shaking his head to clear the confusion, Draco smirked at Harry and said, “I’m going to leave this for tonight, but I assure you that this will be discussed in the morning.” Placing a gentle kiss on Harry’s beautiful mouth, Draco smiled and said, “Come on, let me walk you back to your room so you don’t get lost and we’ll get some sleep before having to chase monsters around again tomorrow.”

Harry got a silly little grin on his face after Draco’s kiss, but agreed that sleep would be good and any big decisions would be better made sober and in the bright light of day. He followed his host to his room for the night and after washing his face and brushing his teeth, he got into his pajamas and fell quickly to sleep dreaming of lovely blonde angels and silver eyes filled with love. He would discover in the morning that he’d had the best night’s sleep since Ginny’s death.

**~HD~HD~HD~HD~**

The next morning at breakfast, the children kept up a steady chatter about what they were planning for the day which had both fathers smiling indulgently at them. It was decided that there would be a quiet morning playing in the Game room and then the house-elves were preparing a picnic lunch that would be taken in the garden and followed by a Quidditch game for the younger boys. 

Harry was a little worried that he may have ruined what he had with Draco. They had been getting along much better lately and last night had been great. He was hoping that he would be able to spend more time with him, but did he mess things up with that drunken kiss last night? He had tried to catch Draco’s gaze more than once during breakfast, but he wasn’t allowed to. It was almost as if Draco was avoiding looking him in the eye. Harry would make sure that they talked things out today because it was nice to have a friend who wasn’t part of Ginny’s family. He didn’t have to avoid talking about her, but he could also talk about the negative things about their relationship or the more unusual aspects such as Harry’s interest in other men. On the other hand, if Draco wasn’t upset, he hoped that a bit more time together could mean more kisses. Not his first kiss from a man, but by far the best.

At the other end of the table, Draco was having similar thoughts while finishing up his breakfast. He hoped that Harry remembered the kisses from the previous night and that he wasn’t upset about them. He was also hoping that he could possibly convince Harry to give Teddy’s idea a try. He had thought about it for quite a while last night before finally falling asleep and he decided that he would definitely enjoy a relationship with Harry Potter. He had decided that he would like to have someone he could talk to about things and to hold him when he’d had a bad day. Someone to kiss away his sadness or to make love with him to celebrate their joys. Could he actually get what he’d been wishing for since Hogwarts days? 

Teddy was looking between his cousin and his god-father to see if he could figure out what had happened after the kids had gone to bed the night before, but he couldn’t tell. They looked like they were a little uncomfortable with each other and that wasn’t what he’d wanted to happen when he told them about his plans. He was hoping for hugs and kisses. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to start over on a new plan since his last one had already been blurted out while he was so upset last night. He didn’t think he could come up with another one that would work as well since this had worked well up until now. He would give it a couple of days and see how things worked out before he started to plot again. But maybe that wouldn’t be necessary.

**~HD~HD~HD~HD~**

The lively group made their way to the Game room after everyone had finished eating and all of the children were playing while their fathers lounged in the comfy chairs over to the side where they could see everyone but still be comfortable. That was a good thing since there was about to be a very serious conversation between the two men. Harry peeked at Draco from behind his bangs and when he noticed him doing the same, he gave him a brilliant smile and laughed. “So are we going to talk about what happened last night and where to go from here or are we just going to be uncomfortable with each other from now on?”

Chuckling at the typically Gryffindor-ish approach, Draco smiled back at Harry and answered, “I was hoping to talk things out because I’ve been enjoying your company the past several weeks while working on Teddy’s party with you. I would hate to lose that just because of a couple of drunken kisses.” Seeing the flash of disappointment in Harry’s gorgeous green eyes, he quickly added, “But if you’re interested, I would very much like to try and make a go of Teddy’s plan to get us dating.”

Harry’s head snapped quickly to look directly at Draco in shock. “Really? I would have never thought you could be interested in anything happening with me. I thought about this a lot this morning. Even with the fire whiskey, I couldn’t get you out of my head. You were the first thing I thought of this morning when I woke up after my kids and that’s saying a lot. There hasn’t been anyone since Ginny was alive who could claim that particular honor. I know that we’ve both grown up a great deal over the years and that we have had our fair share of pain. I would like to start having something good in my life to look forward to, even if it never goes any farther than just those few kisses last night. I know that my kids wouldn’t have a problem and we both know that Teddy orchestrated this so he’s all for it. Will Scorpius be okay or do you think he may be upset?”

Heart beating fast, Draco quickly answered, “Scorpius won’t have a problem. He’s well aware that men can date as well as men and women and he’s never had a problem. I also briefly tried to date someone just after the divorce and he didn’t have a problem as long as I was happy. This would make me happy, by the way. I thought about it last night before I made it to sleep. I’m not sure that you will want to hear this, but I’ve had a bit of a thing for you since we were at school. I never thought you were interested in men so I didn’t bother asking you out. Not to mention, we always fought and even tried to kill each other a few times. Do you really want to get involved with someone you have that kind of history with?”

A huge smile covered Harry’s face and he took Draco’s hand in his own before saying, “I would love to get involved with someone like you. Would you like to know something funny?” He continued after seeing Draco’s affirmative nod and gave him a Slytherin-worthy smirk, “When I talked with Severus’ portrait yesterday, he suggested that we would be a good match.”

Bursting into laughter, Draco managed to choke out, “That old bastard! He knew that I was interested in you, but I can’t believe he would have told you that! He promised he wouldn’t tell you anything. I suppose that was his idea of a hint though. He’s been telling me for months that I need to put myself out there and find someone to start seeing. Who would have thought that I would be taking relationship advice from Severus Snape? Especially considering the fact that his last relationship ended when his young lover died in 1979.”

“Are you serious? He hadn’t had a relationship since then? This borders on too much information, but please tell me he at least had lovers. It would be way too sad to think of him completely alone and celibate for that many years.”

“Regulus was the love of his life. He loved your mother, but she was more like a sister. He and Regulus both started to doubt Voldemort and when they found out about the horcruxes Severus was devastated. He did what he had to do but only enough to keep himself safe until he could find a way out. It almost killed him that his way out was at the cost of the only two people he’d ever loved other than his mother.”

“Regulus? Do you mean Regulus Black? And Severus knew about the bloody horcruxes? Why the fucking hell didn’t Dumbledore let me go to him for help about them?”

Placing a hand on Harry’s shoulder, Draco quietly spoke, “Yes, Regulus Black was the man I’m speaking of. That was the reason for your god-father’s problems with Severus. He knew that his brother preferred men, but he thought that Severus was drawing him into the Deatheaters. Unfortunately, it was the opposite. But that is a story for another day. Let’s go back to discussing the two of us and where we want to go from here.”

Harry noticed that he was still holding Draco’s hand and gave it a soft squeeze. “I would love to see what could come from a relationship with you. I have to tell you that things will have to move slowly if this is going to work because even though I’m very attracted to you and truly enjoy spending time together, I am not ready for more than that and a bit of snogging and hand-holding. Will you be alright with that? I can promise that it won’t be forever, but I really need to finish sorting things out in my head and my heart before I can make much more of a commitment to a relationship.”

Moving his free hand to Harry’s cheek, Draco softly stroked his face and gave a gentle smile before saying, “I wouldn’t mind moving slowly with a relationship either. I think we both need to get over the hurt that we’ve experienced. I also think that we can help each other in that respect. Our children love each other and we know that Teddy is all for it. This sounds like a good thing all the way around. By the way, for the past few minutes, we have had an audience and he has a huge smile on his face and looks like he may burst into tears any minute.”

Harry looked across the room and noticed that Teddy was watching them and when he realized that both men had noticed him, he got up and came running over to them. Draco, Harry, are you mad at me for pushing you together? Because I’m sorry if you are, but I just wanted you to be happy and I thought that you would be able to help each other. Are you gonna start dating? Are we going to be a family?”

Harry pulled Teddy onto his lap and both men reassured him that they weren’t mad at him and that they appreciated what he had done. They both knew that he meant the best for both of them and when they told him that they were going to start seeing each other, his smile could outshine the sun. They both got hugs and kisses and then he ran back over to the other children.

**~HD~HD~HD~HD~**

_December 2008_

Teddy watched as Harry and Draco hung the mistletoe and then kissed each other. He was very happy at how well his plan had turned out. He had been worried for a while, but everything had worked out for the best. The last eight months had been wonderful! Harry and Draco spent more and more time together with the kids and then they started going out by themselves once a week. At first they had made sure to be very careful about any public displays of affection, but once they realized that all of the kids were fine with their relationship it became more frequent. The worst part of the whole thing had been when the press had found out about them. They had all been in Diagon Alley getting ice cream and books when someone from Witch Weekly saw Harry and Draco holding hands in line to get their treats. The woman was very polite and asked if they would be interested in giving an interview. They discussed their options and then told her that they had a friend in the press that was to be getting an exclusive, but they would be happy to talk to her after that had come out so that they could have some pictures for the magazine. The reporter, apparently someone they had gone to school with, was thrilled at the idea and they set up an appointment to sit down together and then they made a quick call to Luna who still owned the Quibbler.

The article in the Quibbler was sweet and coming from a personal friend of both men it was regarded as the absolute truth which the other articles that came out later were not. The photographer for Witch Weekly was also a friend from Hogwarts and made sure that they got copies of all of the photographs that were taken of the couple as well as of them as a family with all of the children. They were decorating both the manor and Harry’s house and Teddy knew a secret that Harry didn’t. Draco was planning on proposing to Harry on Christmas. He knew that because Draco had asked him to help pick out the rings.

Teddy was happier than he could ever remember being and now everyone was going to be together all the time and they would be one big happy family.


End file.
